The race is on, so to speak, with a number of countries and companies recently announcing their plans for the next-generation of high-speed rail travel. While France set the railroad world speed record in 2007 at 575 km/h (357 mph), Japan and most western European countries have set their revenue speed limit at 300 km/h, or around 186 mph. It looks like eager train-travelers (and possibly former air travelers) will soon be traveling a good deal faster in almost any of the above-mentioned countries. Read on for details on some of Japan, China and France's high-speed ambitions.

Sometimes travel facts come in the most unusual places. Yesterday at Arby's my son received a fold out book on the Eiffel Tower in his kid's meal. Very cool.

I learned a few things myself by folding the book out. Along with the standard info about the tower, such as when it was built (1889) and how tall it is (1063 feet), there are out of the ordinary details that people may not know.

Here are a few:

• There are 18,000 pieces in the tower
• Each year four tons of wipes, 10,000 doses of detergent, 25,000 garbage bags and 400 liters of metal cleaning solution are used to keep the tower clean.
• It takes 50 tons of paint to repaint it about every five years.
• When it was first built a lot of people thought it was ugly. This icon that now represents romance, at least I think it does, was to be torn down after 20 years.

Other Arby's travel oriented books are:

• Egyptian Pyramids
• The Colosseum
• The Statue of Liberty

The Eiffel Tower is book 4 of the 4.

When my six-year old son and I pulled into Manhattan on the Amtrak train, and again on a Trailways bus last month, we went underground. I'm not sure where Amtrak goes, but Trailways goes through the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River in order to deposit passengers into Port Authority terminal.

As we passed through the tunnel, --the Holland Tunnel, he wondered why the river didn't come caving in on us. Because the tunnel is well lit, you can see the inside of the tunnel perfectly. On the train, it's dark outside the train's window for the most part. Looking out the window means looking at your own reflection.

My son's question was one of those moments when I realized I really didn't have a clue. Kind of know, but don't really know, but willing to trust engineering and the principles of physics. As I explained the safety of such a tunnel, I looked at all that expanse of tile and wondered a bit. Actually, I thought of how awful it would be to be stuck in it for any length of time with exhaust fumes spewing if there was a car wreck. That's when you say to yourself, "Stay in our own lanes, people, and don't go too fast. Pay attention."

In the tunnel going under the English Channel yesterday, a wreck didn't cause the travel snafu, but a fire on a train going between England and France. According to this article, the train was carrying trucks and only 32 people--mostly drivers of those trucks.

For passengers hoping to go through the tunnel on the train, they had to find alternative ways to get to France or stay where they were. Just like weather is something that airlines say they have no control over and won't fork over assistance, so are fires in train tunnels. Eurostar said that because they have no control over fires they won't help with plane tickets or hotel rooms. You can, however, get a refund or exchange tickets for another time. (I found this out on the Eurostar Web site.)

Because the fire is still going, trains are not heading through that tunnel today. I bet the ferries are packed with people lucky to snag a ticket. For the rest of the stuck people, lots of luck. (The photo by OliverN5 is of Eurostar trains at the Gard du Nord in Paris, France.)

A friend of mine told me this summer about how his small jar of apple butter was confiscated at the TSA security check. He was hoping to bring it from Minnesota back to Montana..

Another person recently told me that the snow globe she was bringing back as a souvenir from her vacation to California this summer was also confiscated by TSA. Unfortunately, she read the post about snow globes not being okay in a carry on after she lost her treasure.

Turns out, there is something else to think about when you pack. If you have holy water on you, even if it is blessed by the pope, better be safe and tuck it into your checked bag--particularly if you are traveling with the pope on his plane. Put it in your carry on and it might be confiscated.

Pope Benedict XVI, recognizing the hazards of holy water in a carry-on, is warning people that even the smallest amount could be a problem reports this Reuters article. Pope Benedict was specifically referring to people traveling with him to Lourdes, France from September 12-15.

People travel to Lourdes on a pilgrimage to see the spot where the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant girl in 1858. Picking up holy water as a souvenir is part of the occasion.

Like the pope, Air France has warned against bringing holy water onto the papal plane as well.

As for other airlines, other planes, and other occasions where you may be bringing holy water home with you, I'd pack it in a checked bag, or take your chances with a bottle if it's no more than 3-ounces.

But, remember the apple butter and the snow globe and those half empty bottles of bottled water dumped into the trash by TSA. There's no telling what might happen when you hoist that carry-on onto the conveyor belt that passes through an X-Ray machine.